To be Dauntless
by milliemelrose
Summary: Orion Golightly learns that you can't always go home. The Erudite born has to learn what it means to be brave or pay the ultimate price. [eric.oc]


I do not own Divergent. It is the beautiful creation of Veronica Roth. I am merely a lover of the series and stumbled upon an idea I wanted to share with people.

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"She is free in her wildness, she is a wanderess, a drop of free water. She knows nothing of borders and cares nothing for rules or customs. 'Time' for her isn't something to fight against. Her life flows clean, with passion, like fresh water."

― Roman Payne

Life was much simpler back then. There was nothing to complicate it all. People were people, free to so what they wanted. People were in control of their lives. That was long before the world went to shit, of course. People ruined the world. Chicago almost didn't recover from the war, but the founders put the world back together again. They created the faction system.

Those who blamed the greed and selfishness of men created Abnegation. They're all about being public servants, they don't do anything fun. Those who blamed war created Amity, they're all about peace, love and harmony. Real hippie shit. Candor was created by those who blamed deception. Candor is full of loud mouths with no filters, it's abrasive but their honesty can be refreshing. The brave created Dauntless, the founder believed that cowardice was to blame for the end of the world. Then there's my home, Erudite. We believe that the stupidity of man ruined the world. We reject ignorance and value intelligence over all. We are a faction full of know-it-alls, but some of brightest minds call Erudite their home. Well that's what my father says anyway.

My reflection has not much has changed much since my birthday in January. My face has thinned out a bit, high cheekbones replacing childlike roundness. My hair still black and curly but longer, now hitting the middle of my back. I would look exactly like my mother if it weren't for my eyes. I have the same expressive, deep set eyes but heterochromia iridium has changed my right iris. Both my eyes are amber but the right has a swirl of yellow, like a candle flame in a dark room.

"Orion, it's time to go."

I throw on my dark blue sweater before smiling at my brother. "Let's get this show on the road"

"Are you nervous?" He asks as we descend down the stairs.

Today is the day, the day I take the aptitude test that tells me what faction I belong in. Then tomorrow I will make the biggest decision of my life, to stay with my family or abandon them. I could tell him that I've been up three nights in a row worried about this day, that I've been researching the test just to know what I should expect, but instead I just shrug.

"If you know yourself, everything will be okay." I say bumping my shoulder into him. He nods pulling me into his side.

My brother is the mirror image of my father, he has my father's strong jaw and rich brown eyes, his nose a perfect slope in the center of his face. The girls at school love Atlas, swooning over how attractive he is, I assume it's because he has symmetrical features, among other things. Atlas is ten minutes younger than me, but stands at six-foot-two with excellent muscle definition. I have a soft figure, I imagine if I was a little taller I could be considered svelte but at the average height of five-foot-six not much can be helped

"Orion Grace, do you have to wear that sweater? It looks ratty." My father sighs putting two fingers in the hole on my shoulder. "And must you wear white? I have already gotten approached by council members about your obsessive need to wear Candor colors."

My father, Hamilton Golightly, has never looked grayer than in this moment. His once black hair is now more salt than pepper, his brown eyes are watery and lack the light they once held. At forty-six years old, my father looks closer to sixty. He's seemed to age faster since mom died.

I roll my eyes dramatically. "Dad, this is my lucky sweater. I have to wear it."

"The test isn't about luck, Orion Grace. It's about knowing yourself, just tru- "

I roll my eyes again, "Yeah yeah, I know. Trust the test."

Atlas snickers at my side, I grimace punching his arm. Atlas pulls me in with his arm, rubbing his knuckles against my scalp. I bite down on the arm that holds me, escaping the noogie. I smirk at my brother, smoothing down my hair.

"Just go" My father says exasperated. "And come right home after the test, tonight is a special night."

The journey to school isn't terrible but the train is packed. I feel like a sardine with all the Erudite-born teens pressed against my limbs. I get off the train as quickly as I can, trying to avoid being shoved. I look at Atlas, his posture is anything but relaxed. Brows tight, jaw set, his shoulders pinch back.

"Can you relax?" I snap at my brother. "I can practically feel how tense you are."

Atlas rolls his eyes, "Shut up, O. Aren't you nervous?"

"No, I'm not. I know exactly where I belong." I respond with a smile.

The truth is that I'm not really sure where I belong. I watched all the people bustle by, there was a rambunctious, lively feel in the air. Today would be the last day we all gathered together in this way, after today we would all begin initiation into our factions. The hallways are the only place where the factions mix usually so I try not to think about it.

"Orion!" My eyes dart around the hall in search of the person who called my name. I see a shock of white blonde hair and recognize the voice as my friend Gemma. Gemma is beautiful. She's long with hair the color of corn silk, if she weren't my best friend surely I would be jealous of her.

"Hey!" I call waving my hand.

"Out of my way, Stiff." Atlas snaps pushing by an Abnegation girl, knocking her to the ground. I stop, crouching down to grab her books. She's pretty with ash colored hair and hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry about him." I say handing the books to her. She gives me a tight lipped smile, eyes never meeting mine.

Testing begins after lunch. We sit at long tables in the cafeteria, listening as test administrators call ten names at a time. I sit with Atlas and Gemma, they sit chatting idly about what they read over the weekend. My eyes wander to the Dauntless table, they shout and laugh while playing cards. My father says the dauntless are hellions but I think they look fun. A group of Amity girls are playing some kind of slap game on the floor and a group of Candor boys seem to be arguing about something. The Abnegation table is quiet, everyone just sits there hands folded not making a peep.

I wait for my name to be called, my heart sitting in my throat. I'm scared what the test will tell me. A part of me hopes the test will tell me to stay, that way I don't have to leave my family but another part of me hopes it tells me I don't belong, that I'm more than just smart.

"Orion and Atlas Golightly from Erudite"

I stand willing my knees not to give out. Atlas grabs my hand, giving it a tight squeeze. No one watches as we walk by, not that I expect them to. We're just two kids from Erudite. My brother and I are in rooms next to each other, we look at each other one last time as if to give the other comfort before entering the mirror-lined rooms.

Inside an Abnegation woman is waiting for me. I admire how she avoids her reflection as she greets me.

"Hi, I'm Angela and I'll be administering your test today." She speaks quietly and avoids my eyes. I feel like she's waiting for me to snarl at her out of spite because there's bad blood between our factions.

I look at the chair in the middle of the room, kind of like a dentist's chair. "Does it hurt?" I asks sitting down.

Angela smiles softly, "It'll be over before you know it."

She could be pretty, beautiful even if she was in another world. She has a curvaceous body under her dreary gray clothes. Her rich red hair is pulled back and away from her face, she has a strong jaw, and emerald green eyes.

"You do a good job of avoiding your reflection." I say as she types away on the computer next to the dentist's chair. "Abnegation rejects vanity right? You only look at yourself once every three months, that's gotta be hard."

Angela smiles at me, "Selflessness isn't too hard." She follows this statement by handing me small glass full of blue liquid.

I sniff the glass, the liquid has a metallic scent, like the sterile laboratories in Erudite. "What is it?"

"You just have to trust me."

I look at her for a few seconds before tossing back the liquid, my eyes close immediately. When my eyes open again, Angela is no longer in the mirrored room with me. My reflection is cast over and over, it makes my head spin. My reflection looks back at me, I go to press my hand to the mirror only to have my reflection stay still. I wait for my reflection to copy me as I run my hand along the mirror but she never does.

"Choose."

My head snaps to the reflection on my left, my mirror image is looking directly at me arms crossed over her chest. Sitting in front of her are two baskets, one containing a hunk of cheese and the other a knife as long as my forearm.

"Choose!" My reflection snaps at me. I look between both items before quickly grabbing the knife, my reflection looks impressed. The baskets disappear as the doors open to the room. In the mirror I see a dog, crouched low with teeth bared. It creeps closer and closer to me, low growls burning in its throat. It isn't until I turn that the dog comes barreling toward me. I clutch the knife tightly, I drop to my knees to seem unassuming set on attacking as it attacks me. I grit my teeth as I wait for the impact but it doesn't come, growls turn to barks and the dog licks my face. I reach out to pet the dog, careful not to startle it. Its tail wags wildly, seeming like an entirely different animal than it was ten seconds ago.

I blink and suddenly across the room is a little girl in a white dress, much like the one I am wearing.

"Puppy!" She reaches out both hands as she runs right towards the dog.

I can't get the words out fast enough to get her to stop. I scramble to my feet, knife in hand and throw myself at the charging dog.

My body hits the floor and suddenly I am on a bus. I stand in the aisle holding onto a pole for balance. Sitting near me is a man, I can't see his face over the top of his newspaper but I can see his hands. They're blistered like he's been burned and clenched so tightly the paper crumples in his grip.

"Do you know this guy?" He asks tapping the photo on the front. The headline reads "BRUTAL MURDERER APREHENDED", I look at the photo closely, somewhere in the back of my head I feel like I know the man in the photo. I feel anxiety raise in my throat, I have a bad feeling about the man talking to me.

"Well?" The man snaps impatiently. "Do you know him or not?"

My knuckles are white from holding the pole so tight. My heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears. This is a bad idea, a very bad idea.

I shake my head and hitch one shoulder. "I haven't a clue who that man is."

The man jumps up, finally revealing his face. He's scarred all over, his mouth pulled into a scowl. "Liar! I know you know who this man is. You can save me, I know you know him."

"I don't know that man!"

I'm thrown back into my body, my hands are clenched so tightly that they're sweating. I'm still lying in the chair in the middle of the room. Angela just blinks quickly pulling the electrodes from my head.

"What was that?!" I snap at Angela. My heart is still racing as I wipe my hands on my dress. Angela doesn't say anything, she just begins tapping away on the computer frantically. The look on Angela's face tells me that something isn't quite right.

"Get up," She says abruptly. "You need to go now." She grabs my arm pulling me from the chair. I'm surprised by her actions, it's not a very Abnegation thing to do. She must not be Abnegation born.

I pull my arm from her grasp, "What's wrong?"

She runs her hands over her pulled back hair. "It didn't work for you and now you have to go."

"What didn't work?"

"The test didn't work on you." She says this plainly as if she's saying the sky is blue.

I, however, am frantic. My head is spinning and my heart is running away from my body. What does she mean it didn't work? Am I factionless? My future was in that test and it didn't work.

"What do you mean it _didn't work_?"

"Your test results were inconclusive. Amity was ruled out when you chose the knife, but you didn't chase the dog until it attacked the girl; that shows Abnegation. I had to manipulate the simulation to get you on the bus. You refused to tell the truth so that ruled out Candor." Angela says this out loud but it feels like it is more for her sake than mine. Like she's solving a complicated math problem, a problem that ultimately doesn't have a solution.

"This was supposed to tell me where I belong, this was supposed to tell me who I am! I just had to trust the test and it would tell me what to do!"

She put her hands on my shoulders, "You're just going to have to trust yourself then. You have an equal aptitude for Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. People who get this kind of result are called _divergent_."

She says the word so quietly that I almost don't heart it, but it reaches my brain as an echo. I clutch the wall for support, suddenly finding myself incapable of standing. My heart pounds a mile a minute. Of course I know what divergence is, it's drilled into our heads. _Divergents are a threat to the system, they cannot be controlled therefore they must be eliminated._ It's all they ever talk about in Erudite, I always believed our leaders were chasing after ghosts, something that didn't exist. How can there be a threat to our system if our system is perfect? But now I've been told that I'm that threat, that I'm something unnatural.

"You can't tell anyone of your true result, as far as anyone is concerned your result was Erudite because that is what I manually entered." Angela's face is grim, her pupils are dilated more than usual; she's terrified. "If anyone finds out… or discovers what you are…"

I know how it will end. No one ever dared speak the atrocity out loud but we know the price for divergence. If I am found out…if someone finds out what I am… I will have to pay that price. The cost: my life.

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wow, this ended up being nine pages in word! I really hope you like this, I am currently working on midterms and trying to get at least ten chapters prewritten so you don't have to wait that long for updates! Please bear with me! I am also working on my Mr. Robot story: Hacked as well so check that out! But I have a lot planned for Orion and Atlas! I have a romance planned but I have yet to determine if its a triangle or not! :P This story is a mixture of the book Divergent and the movie! I also have a polyvore for any outfits/ visual stuff I created to fit chapters (UN: K-I-D-S ) so check that out also!

Let me know what you think, I worked really hard on this!

xxmillie


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